Search

Prince of Wales launches Community Capital

HRH The Prince of Wales visited Shoreditch to launch Community Capital at the Annual Conference of The Prince’s Foundation. Community capital is a new framework which aims to highlight how community engagement in the planning process can lead to sustainable, high-quality development.

The Government’s localism bill has the potential to enhance communities’ opportunities to shape their own localities through neighbourhood planning. However there is a danger that without guidance and support devolving these decision-making powers will add complexity and risk to the development process, leaving local communities vulnerable to inappropriate developments, which they are powerless to fight

We believe that by taking into account Natural, Financial, Social and Built capital, we will provide a base for a vibrant and lasting environment.

Prince Charles watched a panel debate hosted by one of our ambassadors, George Clarke, before making a speech to the attendees. Speaking at the event, Prince Charles, commented:

(Extracts)

“At the moment we’re drawing the capital out and not living on the income. I think the same thing is true in terms of Community Capital. We have huge challenges unless we think about Community Capital, how to enhance it, how to make it resilient and how to form the kind of surroundings that will help that resilience in the future…

“Communities are actually at the heart of everything, not huge monocultural masses where nobody has any real identity or sense of belonging. So it seems to me we have to give that sense of belonging. Equally, to me, the approach the Foundation is adopting through Community Capital, which looks towards enhancing and adding value to the social, environmental and financial aspect of any development is again crucial because it actually starts to look at the natural ecosystem and the environment at the very start.”